Wednesday, June 23, 2010

When you have a tough decision to make you need the right people to help you out, goes for everything, I think. That very thing came up in my life not long ago. My only intention in this dilemma was to conduct myself the way that is most respectful. Probably happens all the time, but, I felt I needed to get a second opinion, one that knows me, and likes me anyway, that I trusted, to help me, and for me it was my 4th grade BFF PJ, I made that call. She listened and I made my case and after all my "what do you think?" all she had to tell me was "You'll do the right thing", and we said goodbye. At that moment I was kinda like..what, that is not I want you to tell me, what do I do! Anyway, the right thing is what I hoped I did. It wasn't till about 4 or 5 weeks later I was mowing the grass and it hit me, man, that was probably the nicest thing someone has told me in a long time, that the me she knows will do the right thing, when it comes to the tuff stuff in life. YOU ROCK PJ!

Sometimes things happen, happen so you get to realize who you are. Bad, good, sad, funny anything can help. One thing this year, well, a lot of things but there's one I really thought... funny. Before a school convo last year in the restroom I was placed in a awkward life scene: me in a stall fastening my belt: herd of gals, 8th, 9th grade chatting about the convo, "It's the Animal Guy - yeah that lady thinks she is funny". HEY I AM FUNNY!!! All I could think of was I needed to come out and she was going to have to look me in the eye- if our places were reversed and I had said that , oh man, serious bummer, what would the others in the herd think? I felt for the young gal, I just tried to smile a kind of smile, went to washing my hands. The stunned silent herd froze like the old lioness had slipped into the gazelles, they scattered, muttering something about " can she hold the snake?"...now she was funny.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service has very special people that care so much about nature, they just want as many kids of all ages to enjoy the outside, the natural world. That leads Larry to pack some of our wild animal teachers and head the animal truck to Washington DC to help teach inner city kids about our wild animal friends plus they get to fish in the pond next to the World War II memorial in the nation's capital. Fishing and seeing Larry and the reptiles like our gila monster, alligator snapping turtle and more and of course Itty Bitty the python likes to tag along. This year the US Fish and Wildlife Service purchased 300 copies of our new book "Baxter's Alphabet Swamp", I have to say we are honored that "Baxter's Alphabet Swamp" made it to Capital Hill! Since I stay home and care for the rest of the beast friends that means I get a present...and Larry is headin east again soon so more loot for Cher!!!

For the animal guys, that's me too, summer takes us instead of school cause well, they are closed; anyway we usually start at the Cool Creek Nature Center in Carmel, Indiana. It is a fun night, great campfire, songs and the animal show next to the creek and after the program the yummy part..marshmallows, roasted. Wild animals outside always a good time!!!